Steve Vai is a living guitar legend. Voted #10 on Guitar World‘s 2012 “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” poll, the axe man was a leader among the talented crop of metal and heavy rock electric guitar masters that came to prominence during the 1980’s. At the age of thirteen, after having purchased his first guitar and begun taking his first lessons with fellow New York native Joe Satriani, Vai became obsessed with the discipline of practice. Vai’s practice routine, consisting of a rigid and structured regiment of ten-to-fifteen hour-a-day practice schedules, became the basis of his work ethic for the rest of his career.Vai got started on his music industry as an 18-year-old transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, and went on to join Zappa’s band for several years before embarking on a decorated solo career. He has also toured with seminal 80’s rock acts like Whitesnake and David Lee Roth, and participated in live projects like Zappa Plays Zappa and “Experience Hendrix,” and has recorded with the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Meatloaf, and many more. A thoroughly individual player, Vai’s playing is marked by his technical proficiency and diverse playing techniques, including two-handed tapping, sweep picking, whammy bar acrobatics, and beyondBeyond his own personal playing, Vai is known for his technical innovations in the world of the electric guitar. The Ibanez JEM model that he co-designed (with its trademark body handle) is one of the most iconic instruments in contemporary music. He also designed the first comercially-produced 7-string guitar, the Ibanez Universe, which became virtually ever-present in heavy rock and metal sub-genres throughout the ensuing decade.In honor of his 57th birthday today, take a few minutes to bask in the glory of these classic Steve Vai shred-fests below, like this video of Vai tapping and riffing away on a triple-necked guitar at The Fillmore in Denver on 10/20/03……or this clip of Vai’s shred duel with actor Ralph Macchio from the 1986 film “Crossroads…”Or this clip of Vai and former Ozzy Osborne guitarist Zakk Wylde tag-teaming Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child…”…Or this glamorous live performance of his Alien Love Secrets (’95) instrumental, “Tender Surrender.”Happy birthday, Steve! read more
Billy Porter Show Closed This production ended its run on April 7, 2019 Related Shows Kinky Boots Star Files His boots are kinky and his voice is soulful! Tony winner Billy Porter’s new album, Billy’s Back On Broadway, will be released by Concord Records on April 15. As previously reported, the album will feature ten tracks made famous by leading men and women of the stage, as well as a special appearance by Kinky Boots composer and Grammy, Emmy and Tony winner Cyndi Lauper. Billy’s Back on Broadway is now available for pre-order on Amazon. Check out an exclusive first listen of Porter singing (and scatting!) his way through a jazzy rendition of “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” below! View Comments read more
Pay all of your attention to the people behind the curtain! Broadway Balances America, the special six-part series airing on The Balancing Act on Lifetime Television, continues its second season on November 17 (the episode will re-air on November 24) with an exclusive look at the new touring production of The Wizard of Oz. Tune in as The Balancing Act takes viewers behind the scenes of the reimagined musical, featuring interviews with the show’s cast and creatives.In this episode, correspondent Amber Milt visits the production’s costume shop in Baltimore, where Sarah Lasko— the young actress playing Dorothy and a Maryland native—talks about the meaning of “no place like home” before embarking on the U.S. tour. Viewers will see the transformation as Lasko is fitted into her iconic costume for the first time, while exploring what’s behind these famous female characters and the shoes they wear, and how new musical numbers penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice bring a classic back to life.Directed by Jeremy Sams, this new production of The Wizard of Oz is an enchanting adaptation of the all-time classic, totally re-conceived for the stage. Developed from the ever-popular MGM screenplay, this production contains the beloved songs from the Oscar-winning movie score, all the favorite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way.Visit the official Broadway Balances America website to discover more about this exciting series and to find out which Broadway musicals will also be featured! View Comments Broadway Balances America read more
Advertisement Comment Advertisement Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal thrashed Newcastle United this weekend (Picture: Getty)Mikel Arteta will be ‘worried’ by Arsenal’s inability to produce the goods ‘for a whole 90 minutes’ despite their emphatic victory over Newcastle United.That is the opinion of former Republic of Ireland striker Tony Cascarino, who says Arsenal must learn to replicate Arteta’s former club Manchester City and dominate entire matches.The Gunners clinched their seventh Premier League victory of the season with a 4-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday.Goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette clinched the emphatic rout and saw Arsenal move to within seven points of fourth-placed Chelsea.ADVERTISEMENTArsenal are beginning to impress under Arteta, who replaced Unai Emery at the Emirates in December, but Cascarino believes the manager will still be ‘worried’ by his team’s form.AdvertisementAdvertisement‘Arsenal have yet to produce a good performance for a whole 90 minutes under Mikel Arteta, which will be worrying for the new head coach,’ he told The Times.‘But he is having an effect, and it is evident in the way in which his team come out and transform games after half-time. Metro Sport ReporterMonday 17 Feb 2020 7:47 amShare this article via facebookShare this article via twitterShare this article via messengerShare this with Share this article via emailShare this article via flipboardCopy link4.2kShares Arsenal 4-0 Newcastle: Mikel Arteta press conferenceTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Play VideoLoaded: 0%0:00Progress: 0%PlayMuteCurrent Time 0:00/Duration Time 7:05FullscreenArsenal 4-0 Newcastle: Mikel Arteta press conferencehttps://metro.co.uk/video/arsenal-4-0-newcastle-mikel-arteta-press-conference-2112002/This is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.Following Arsenal’s victory over Newcastle, Arteta said: ‘After the break we started saying we had to start closing the gap on the top teams and turn draws into wins.‘Today was the first opportunity and we’ve done it. All good. I’m so pleased for Laca [Alexandra Lacazette] – the reaction of the players and staff towards him.‘He fights hard for everyone. He’s been unlucky. He will gain confidence from this and knows how everyone appreciates him.’MORE: Arsenal legend Ian Wright makes his prediction for Chelsea v Manchester UnitedMORE: Dani Ceballos reacts to long-awaited Arsenal return as Mikel Arteta rates his performance Arsenal beat Newcastle 4-0 on Sunday (Picture: Getty)‘They looked a different team in the second half of their 4-0 win against Newcastle United.‘It is as if Arteta tells them to maintain the discipline he has instilled but also to add some expression, instinct and individuality to their play.‘Manchester City have perfected how to do this for an entire game. Arsenal must learn that trick, too.’More: FootballRio Ferdinand urges Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to drop Manchester United starChelsea defender Fikayo Tomori reveals why he made U-turn over transfer deadline day moveMikel Arteta rates Thomas Partey’s chances of making his Arsenal debut vs Man CityArsenal legend Martin Keown echoed Cascarino’s comments in a column for BBC Sport and said: ‘Arsenal’s big problem all season has been finding a consistency of play.‘They have been unable to put together a 90-minute performance under both Arteta and his predecessor Unai Emery, who paid with his job in November.‘This side has had a few false dawns this season – and Arteta had only actually won one Premier League game prior to Sunday.’ Tony Cascarino tells Mikel Arteta his biggest problem at Arsenal after Newcastle United thrashing read more
More from news02:37International architect Desmond Brooks selling luxury beach villa19 hours ago02:37Gold Coast property: Sovereign Islands mega mansion hits market with $16m price tag2 days agoThe reform will be debated in the upper house.According to real estate agency law specialist Bailey Compton, a key issue arising from the reform bill included every staff member needing to hold a “Class 2 licence”.Failure to comply would mean they would be labelled an ‘assistant agent’ and have their statutory functions restricted.Every business would also need to have least one “Class 1 licence holder” to comply with supervision and management responsibilities. NSW real estate agents are facing ‘sweeping reforms’.WHAT could be one of the most significant reforms for NSW real estate agents is set for its third reading in Parliament today. The Property, Stock and Business Agent’s Amendment Act was introduced by Minister for Fair Trading Matthew Kean in November 2017.It follows the Office of Fair Trading publishing a consultative paper on its proposed real estate industry regulatory reforms in November the year before. If the legislation passes, agents will have to comply with stricter licencing.It’s anticipated the new legislation will be passed on July 1, 2018.It follows a NSW Fair Trading investigation on ‘dodgy’ real estate practices that resulted in 16 Tweed Heads agents slapped with 34 fines totalling $55,000 for underquoting and licence breaches. read more